Towards a standardized format for the description of a novel species (of an established genus): Ochrobactrum gallinifaecis sp. nov.

A format for the description of single novel species is proposed, which should facilitate the reviewing process by assisting the provision of data in a standardized form. The abstract must be short and concise, highlighting phylogenetic position, morphology and chemotaxonomy for genus affiliation, the genotypic and phenotypic basis for species differentiation, and the name and deposition numbers from two public culture collections in different countries for the type strain: A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium (Iso 196(T)) was isolated from chicken faeces. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain Iso 196(T) was shown to belong to the alpha-2 subclass of the Proteobacteria related to Ochrobactrum tritici (95.6%), Ochrobactrum grignonense (95.0%) and Ochrobactrum anthropi (94.6%), and the phylogenetic distance from any validly described species within the genus Brucella was less than 95%. Chemotaxonomic data (major ubiquinone - Q-10; major polyamines - spermidine and putrescine; major polar lipids - phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine; major fatty acids - C(18 : 1)omega7c and C(19 : 0) cyclo omega8c) supported the affiliation of strain Iso 196(T) to the genus Ochrobactrum. The results of DNA-DNA hybridization and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain Iso 196(T) from the four validly published Ochrobactrum species. Iso 196(T) therefore represents a new species, for which the name Ochrobactrum gallinifaecis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain Iso 196(T) (= DSM 15295(T) = CIP 107753(T)).